Reading Roars!

Reading Station appears to be getting smaller.

Now we have a posh hotdog stand selling bratwursts outside the main entrance and a new Subway upstairs. I’m not sure why the bratwursts are there. It seems like an odd place to put them, but I’m sure someone did their homework. As for the Subway, I hope it doesn’t prove too much of an obstacle during peak hours. I think we need a more spacious railway station - and fast!

Wot, no updates? There is a reason, and it’s not laziness (not this time). I was on holiday for 2 weeks and I sought to avoid computers as much as possible. My vacation was partly spent in Vancouver, British Columbia (you may have guessed this if you saw one of my recent posts) and so I will dedicate this entry to the Canadian city and Reading (of course).

Reading was recently described as a poor place to raise a family. Vancouver is consistently ranked highly in the international quality of life surveys. I thought I’d compare the two places. I won’t mention the serious stuff - healthcare, crime, education etc - simply as I don’t know enough about them. But I can tell you what I think of Canadian beer.

The first thing that struck me about Vancouver was space. The roads seemed bigger and the city was spread over a large area. I felt I could breathe (the clean air also had something to do with this). Indeed, the province of British Columbia, where Vancouver is located, is 4 times the size of Britain and its population is 15% of ours. Reading has a little bit of space - the rural Thames Valley area - but I’m always feeling squished.

I believe this squished feeling is derived not only from the compactness of our streets and public places, but from the abundance of human life everywhere. Is it me or are there more people these days? Vancouver has a greater population (588,000) but seems far quieter in comparison. A buzzing city it is not. Vancouverites appeared very relaxed (and friendly!), even while commuting to work. The opposite is true here, where we seem to relish energetic lifestyles (even if it means suffering difficult journeys into work and long hours in the office). Of course, while we work hard, we play hard too, and we love playing hard best in bars and pubs, right?

Could this be one reason why our beer is stronger over here than other there? It was wonderful that the Vancouverites made their own stuff, shunning the big branded garbage, but it was a tad on the weak side (though nice). Then again, I don’t think I’ve had a strong beer from the US, either.

Vancouver’s food was spot on, however. It was supremely good. Their beef was divine; the best I ever had. Their salmon, possibly unrivalled in the world. Not only that, their market (Granville) was first-class: better than London’s Borough Market and in a much nicer location. Canadians also do great breakfasts and Vancouver’s Chinatown offers Hong Kong-quality food. I was delighted to see that Canadians take their coffee seriously: there appeared to be a coffee outlet on every corner. We don’t do too badly in this regard, either. As for other eateries, we have probably a better diversity, and our supermarkets are better.

As is retail in general. I was left feeling disappointed by Vancouver’s shops. I actually believe ours, in Reading, are better. Our department stores are better designed, offer more products and stock the latest lines. But then I think we are much more consumerist in Reading. We consume till we drop. Could it be Vancouverites take more comfort from nature and other people instead? I saw fantastic scenes of young people playing in a city park: no swearing, shouting or spitting. It was pleasant.

As were Vancouver’s buildings, which were gleaming. And their streets were clean, while ours are grubby and horrible (and getting worse).

I could analyse further, but it’s late. The reality, in my opinion, is that Vancouver does appear to have a better quality of life than Reading. Clean, spacious, friendly and calm, Vancouver is a breath of fresh air. Reading has a bit of bite, however. I suppose it depends on what you’re looking for.